10 Things to Know: New Penn State commit Omari Evans
Penn State has landed another Class of 2022 commitment.
Three-star Texas receiver Omari Evans picked the Nittany Lions over Rutgers and others Saturday.
While that may sound like a surprising final pair and ultimate choice, we'll dive into why that's not the case below, and it's one of 10 things fans need to know about the latest prospect to pick head coach James Franklin's program.
1. First film impression
This guy is fast.
If it was possible to make flames shoot out of the word, I would do it, because that's the first thing you recognize when you turn on Evans' film.
It should be noted that a 40-yard-dash time of 4.3 seconds, in addition to a 4.2-second timed shuttle, also made this fact evident, but it's one thing to do it without pads and another to showcase it with a helmet on while defenders are chasing you.
Evans plays quarterback for his high school team this year, so you won't get to see senior year clips of him running many routes, but you do quickly realize that the 6-foot, 170-pound prospect can move, break tackles, and avoid defenders. That's what attracted the Nittany Lions to him as a future pass catcher.
2. How it started
This might come as a surprise, but Penn State didn't seriously enter the mix for its newest commit until this summer.
After the long dead period due to the coronavirus pandemic, which lasted about 15 months, Evans finally made the trip to State College at the end of June. He shined during a private workout and backed up what his tape showed with his testing numbers and position-related skills.
That led to Franklin and his staff extending an offer before he left campus.
3. Path to the decision
Before Evans earned an offer from Penn State, Rutgers had already put itself in a strong position. Back in April, he scheduled an official visit with Greg Schiano and his staff, which took place the first weekend in June. He also took unofficial visits to Baylor and Houston later in the month before traveling to Penn State for the first time on June 26.
Evans then returned to Rutgers on Sept. 1 for an unofficial visit, and he actually stayed in North Jersey for a few days, attending the Knights' home opener over Temple on Sept. 4. It was that visit that led many to believe he would ultimately end up at Rutgers.
However, Penn State still had an official visit to use, which they scheduled for Sept. 17-18 so he could attend the White Out game against Auburn. His school, Shoemaker, also happened to have a bye week, allowing Evans to come up early on Friday to spend nearly the entire day with the coaching staff as they prepped for Auburn.
Just days later, his decision date was set, and that was very good news for the Nittany Lions, both at that moment in time and in the end.
Class Breakdown: Where Penn State stands after Omari Evans' commitment
4. Mike Yurcich put this in motion
"Coach Yurcich hit me up and told me that they were very interested, but due to lack of my film at receiver, they wanted me to come do a 1-on-1 workout," Evans told BWI's Ryan Snyder in June. "He reached out last Saturday, I'm pretty sure. So, I came up here to do the workout and look around the campus."
That quote is from June 26. One can only assume that Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was aware of Evans from his time at Texas, but as the receiver said, the rest of the Lions' staff needed to see him in person before extending an offer.
First impressions are often a make-or-break thing in recruiting, and both sides nailed theirs, which led to this commitment.
5. So how did a Texas kid end up with Penn State and Rutgers as his finalists?
Penn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith has done a great job establishing a foothold for the Nittany Lions in the Longhorn State, but there's more than just that going on in this recruitment.
Evans spent 10 years living in Sandusky, Ohio, so he has ties to the midwest that give him a better understanding of and interest in the Big Ten and its program compared to most southern recruits.
6. What Evans has said about PSU
The official visit is what truly cemented this pledge, as is evident by what Evans told BWI following the trip.
“We went around and looked at all the tailgates in the afternoon, which were crazy,” Evans said. “There were people everywhere. We went and ate at this spot outside of the stadium then, and then when all the recruits started coming, that’s when we started getting closer to the game.
"We ate again in the player’s lounge before the game, and I spent a lot of time with the coaches and the recruits then. I got to meet [Dani Dennis-Sutton] then. We were just talking. He was real cool. I met a lot of the commits actually. It was fun going out on the field, too.”
7. Why such a big receiver class?
We touched on this in the commitment preview, but when you really break it down, using this many slots in the Class of 2022 at receivers makes a lot of sense.
Penn State will lose Jahan Dotson after this season, and Cam Sullivan-Brown probably won't be back for another season, either. Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith will lead the way in 2022, but they might only play that season before leaving, and It's hard to count on Daniel George and Norval Black to be here beyond next year at best.
So, by the time next season ends, the Nittany Lions would be down to Jaden Dottin, Malick Meiga, Liam Clifford, and Harrison Wallace III if there are early NFL Draft entrants and/or transfer portal movement. And, let's not forget, losing Lonnie White Jr., to baseball in the last cycle is a factor, as well.
Put it all together, and this is the perfect time to replenish the depth in Taylor Stubblefield's room, and that's especially true when you look at the Class of 2023 pool and realize there might only be one or two prospects who the Nittany Lions are truly in the favorite group for at this point in time.
8. Class of 2022 timeline
Here is Penn State's 2022 class sorted by commitment timeline:
July 25, 2020 - Four-star WR Kaden Saunders, Westerville (Ohio) Westerville South
July 28, 2020 - Four-star TE Jerry Cross, Milwaukee (Wisc.) Rufus King
Aug. 3, 2020 - Four-star QB Beau Pribula, York (Pa.) Central York
Sept. 4, 2020 - Four-star OL Drew Shelton, Downingtown (Pa.) Downingtown West
Sept. 8, 2020 - Four-star DE Ken Talley, Philadelphia (Pa.) Northeast High
Nov. 29, 2020 - Four-star WR Anthony Ivey, Manheim (Pa.) Manheim Township
Jan. 1, 2021 - Four-star ATH. Mehki Flowers, Harrisburg (Pa.) Central Dauphin East
March 8, 2021 - Three-star QB Drew Allar, Medina (Ohio) Medina High
May 1, 2021 - Three-star OL Maleek McNeil, Easthampton (Mass.) Williston Northampton
May 5, 2021 - Three-star S Tyrece Mills, Philadelphia (Pa.) Lackawanna College
May 25, 2021 - Two-star K Alex Bacchetta, Atlanta (Ga.) Westminster
June 21, 2021 - Three-star WR Tyler Johnson, Ridgeway (Va.) Magna Vista
July 2, 2021 - Three-star OL JB Nelson, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Lackawanna College
July 3, 2021 - Three-star DE Keon Wylie, Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Charter
July 4, 2021 - Four-star DE Tyreese Fearbry, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Perry Traditional Academy
July 4, 2021 - Four-star DE Zane Durant, Orlando (Fla.) Lake Nona
July 4, 2021 - Four-star DT Kaleb Artis, Queens (N.Y.) St. Francis Prep
July 6, 2021 - Four-star RB Nicholas Singleton, Shillington (Pa.) Governor Mifflin
July 16, 2021 - Four-star RB Kaytron Allen, Norfolk (Va.) IMG Academy (Fla.)
July 17, 2021 - Three-star CB Jordan Allen, Lafayette, (La.) Lafayette Christian Academy
July 22, 2021 - Five-star DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, Baltimore (Md.) McDonogh
July 29, 2021 - Four-star CB Cristian Driver - Argyle (Texas) Liberty Christian
July 31, 2021 - Three-star Saf. KJ Winston - Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic
July 31, 2021 - Three-star LB Abdul Carter - Philadelphia (Pa.) La Salle College
Sept. 21, 2021 - Three-star OL Andre Roye - Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances College
Oct. 2, 2021 - Three-star WR Omari Evans - Killeen (Tex.) Shoemaker
9. Positional breakdown
Here are Penn State's 2022 commits by position:
2 — Quarterback
2 — Running Back
4 — Wide Receiver
1 — Tight End
3 — Offensive Line
5 — Defensive Line
2 — Linebacker
4 — Defensive Back
2 — Athlete
1 — Kicker
10. Where the Class of 2022 is from
Here is a breakdown of the Nittany Lions commits by state (based on where they play today):
10 - Pennsylvania
3 - Florida
3 - Maryland
2 - Texas
2 - Ohio
1 - Georgia
1 - Louisiana
1 - Massachusetts
1 - New York
1 - Virginia
1 - Wisconsin
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